Colorado mother speaks out after daughters assaulted by family friend: "No child should have to go through this"

A Castle Rock mother is sharing her family's story after two of her daughters were assaulted by a close family friend. After learning of his criminal history, she says he should never have been free to hurt her daughters.

The 33-year-old Idaho man was convicted this week of two counts of sexual assault on a child.

Brittney Hutkay-Moore trusted her childhood best friend and her husband, Shelby Ward, completely.

"They were aunt and uncle. We raised our children together, despite being over 1,000 miles apart," said Hutkay-Moore.

The families would frequently fly between Colorado and Idaho to visit each other.

"Texted, called each other, sent birthday gifts and birthday cards, planned family vacations together," said Hutkay-Moore.

But in 2024, Brittney's 10-year-old daughter told her the unthinkable: Uncle Shelby had sexually assaulted her.

"It was devastating … the deepest sense of betrayal," said Hutkay-Moore, "[My daughter] asked, 'Am I in trouble?' And I said, 'Never, never. You will never be in trouble. I will never be mad at you. I will always believe you.'"

A few hours later, Brittney's 13-year-old told her he'd done it to her, too.

"It was just a whirlwind. There's just not enough words in the English vocabulary to describe how absolutely devastating and terrified I was," said Hutkay-Moore. "They could finally tell their story, so it was just word vomit. They just completely bared their souls and, of course, I was shocked and betrayed."

Hutkay-Moore believed her daughters and reported the crime.

She soon learned Ward had a history of assaulting children.

Prosecutors say Ward was required to register as a sex offender after having a sexual relationship with a 15-year-old girl in 2015. In 2016, Ward was convicted of rape of a child in Washington, but only ended up serving six months in jail.

"I think my first reaction was, 'Can I go sue the state of Washington? Because this could have 100% been prevented,'" said Hutkay-Moore.

"How did we get to this point where there's maybe kind of a slap on the wrist at best for something so serious? It seems to me that that served as a good conduit for him to have access to these children because he didn't have those ramifications prior," said Brynn Chase, deputy district attorney in the 23rd Judicial District's Special Victims Unit.

Chase prosecuted Ward's case.

"He needs to be locked up for as long as I can lock him up," said Chase. "This was certainly an exploitation of a position of trust to achieve this pattern of sexual abuse."

Prosecutors say Shelby Ward first assaulted one of Brittney's daughters while visiting them in Colorado in 2022. The next year, on another visit, he assaulted the other.

After both girls were assaulted by Ward on a trip to Idaho in 2024, they confided in each other.

"Then they were able to kind of find out, yeah, this happened to both of us, and that's how they got the courage to be able to tell their family about it," said Chase.

Prosecutors used the Idaho assaults to prove a pattern of abuse, and put a life sentence on the table.

While testifying against Ward, Brittney's daughters both broke down.

"These girls had been so concerned about whether or not they were going to be believed," said Chase. "They talked about 'I'm doing this because no other child should have to go through what I went through.'"

"I'm honored to be their mom. I'm honored that they are the girls and the women that they are growing up to be. So proud doesn't even begin to cover it," said Hutkay-Moore.

This week, a jury found Ward guilty on two counts of sexual assault on a child as part of a pattern of abuse.

"It was the biggest sense of relief you could ever imagine," said Hutkay-Moore. "They are so incredibly brave and strong, and I'm just so incredibly proud of them, and I'm hopeful that, given a guilty verdict, that this can be the start of a new chapter of healing."

But Hutkay-Moore says her daughters' sense of trust and safety was shattered by the crime.

"Both of them have lost a sense of safety in this world in the idea that even their most trusted friends or family could hurt them like this," said Hutkay-Moore. "This is going to be something that sticks with them for the rest of their lives."

And Hutkay-Moore has lost her best friend, and her "village."

"The one person that you would reach out to get through a time like this is gone. It's like grieving somebody that's still alive," said Hutkay-Moore. "It took my sense of safety, and it took this entire family network support that we had built together, and just demolished it in one fell swoop."

Ward will be sentenced on Dec. 15. He faces between eight and 48 years, but any sentence will carry "to life."

"No child should have to go through this, and if this means that it's me and my family that has to put a stop to this offender, then that's what we're gonna do," said Hutkay-Moore.

Authorities in Idaho may choose to prosecute Ward separately for the assaults there.

Hutkay-Moore wants her daughters' story to inspire other survivors to come forward.

"Report. Report to anybody. Anyone who will listen. You're not alone. There's more like you, and the only way forward is through," said Hutkay-Moore. "And if your kids come to you and say something that makes them uncomfortable or something's just not right, you believe them and you do something because that's the only way that this is gonna get better."